Tired tresses? Help your hair with these great tips

If you're a fan of colouring or heat styling your hair, it can start to look and feel a bit tired. Constant styling or dyeing can strip your locks of moisture, shine and strength, which can result in your hair getting strung out.

While using the right shampoo and conditioner can help, if your hair has become damaged, it can take more to get it back to its former glory. Luckily there are a few tips and tricks you can use that save you having to shell out at the salon and can inject more life into your hair.

Fewer washes

If your hair is dry and damaged – which can be a result of heat or dye – washing it too frequently can actually make it worse. While conditioner will help to add moisture to your hair, washing it every day or every other day will strip any natural oils away.

Instead, try leaving your hair for as long as you can in between washes, using dry shampoo to refresh your look.

While you don't have to do a Kim Kardashian and leave your hair without a wash for five days, three to four days between shampoos can really help restore some of its natural shine.

Protein treatments

Moisture is important when it comes to revitalising your tired tresses, but your hair can't actually absorb or hold on to the moisture you put into it if it is lacking in protein.

If your hair snaps easily, feels mushy when wet – a bit like chewing gum – and you are losing more hair than normal, you need to add protein to it. There are a number of ways you can do this, but it is important to note that too much protein can also be problematic.

You can get easy protein treatments and conditioners, but these can get expensive. Instead, use items that you probably already have in your fridge.

A simple egg wash can add a lot of protein to your hair when used every few weeks. Simply scramble one or two eggs together – depending on hair length – and add a few drops of hair oil. Shampoo your hair and pop on the egg for 20 minutes before shampooing out with lukewarm water and conditioning.

An avocado hair mask will also add protein and leave your hair easy to tame. Just mix an avocado, three teaspoons of olive oil and some lemon juice together until it is easy to spread over your hair.

Just as with the egg, put it on damp hair, leave for 20 minutes and shampoo and condition out. Use this every couple of weeks for happy hair.

Hot towel

You probably already use an intensive conditioner on your hair – and if you don't, go and get one! You should use this once or twice a week depending on how bad the condition of your hair is.

However, you can get more out of your intensive conditioner or hair masque if you combine it with a hot towel treatment. This is basically how it sounds: you cover your hair in a hot towel when it is covered in conditioner.

This allows the hair cuticles to open more, which means your hair can absorb a lot more of the moisture. Not only will this leave your hair looking and feeling better, it will also repair it much deeper.

You just have to be careful when doing this, as you don't want to burn yourself. Simply soak your towel in hot water; this can be from the tap or a partially boiled kettle – do not use boiling water!

Wrap your hair in the towel and relax for 30 minutes. Then just rinse and dry your hair. You'll probably feel the difference straight away.

Hair oil

As well as shampoo, conditioner and heat defence spray, you can care for your hair by using a hair oil. Things like argan oil (also known as Moroccan oil) and macadamia oil can make a big difference to the moisture level of your hair and its shine.

Use small amounts of your chosen oil – a little goes a long way – on the lengths and ends of your hair when it is wet. Dry and style as usual, before applying extra oil if needs be.

Not only will the oil help to moisturise your hair, it can also offer protection against moisture loss throughout the day while taming frizz and adding gloss.

Don't put up with tired tresses when looking after your hair is so easy.